WHAV (https://whav.net/category/localnews/haverhill/page/35/)
Haverhill Trail Stewards Mike Demers and Tom Wylie lead a circumnavigation of Kenoza Lake as part of the Let’s Hike Haverhill program. Registration opens Saturday, Aug. 22, at 6 a.m., for the walk scheduled for Sunday, Sept. 20, from 9 a.m. to noon. The hike is free but limited to 40.
Holly Rutko was recently named senior vice president, senior risk manager for River Run Bancorp, affiliated with Newburyport Bank, Pentucket Bank and Rollstone Bank & Trust. Rutko has been in banking for 20 years, previously serving as vice president, compliance manager. She will work in developing, implementing and overseeing the Bank Secrecy Act, Community Reinvestment Act and compliance programs.
“Strong compliance programs protect the bank, but more importantly, they protect the people we serve,” said Rutko. “That’s what drives the work.”
Meaghan Lally-McGurl, executive vice president, chief enterprise risk officer said “Holly’s depth of knowledge in BSA, CRA, and compliance—combined with her two decades of hands-on experience—make her exceptionally well-suited for this leadership role.”
Rutko earned a Bachelor of Arts, Cum Laude, from Elms College as well as a Juris Doctorate, Cum Laude, from New England School of Law.
The Haverhill Republican City Committee Friday condemned a new state law that allows late-term abortions “by a physician based upon the professional judgment of the physician.”
“The Haverhill Republican City Committee is shocked and saddened at the bill MA Governor Maura Healey signed allowing abortion at any point in pregnancy up to birth,” read a statement released by Chairwoman Jeri Levasseur. It explained, “The bill allows elective abortion through all nine months for any reason based on the ‘professional judgment’ of an abortionist with a medical degree.”
The legislation removed restrictions on abortion after 24 weeks of pregnancy with proponents arguing conditions such as Preterm Premature Rupture of Membranes carry “significant and unpredictable risks.”
The bill initially passed by the state House of Representatives July 22 by a vote of 119 to 33 and Senate July 31 on a voice vote. It was signed by Gov. Maura Healey Aug. 10.
The Whittier Regional Vocational Technical School Committee voted unanimously Wednesday night to move forward with the next step in repairing or replacing the school, while at the same time acknowledging money challenges ahead. The vote to spend up to $2.5 million on a feasibility study to repair or replace the 50-year-old school and its aging sewage treatment plant on Amesbury Line Road in Haverhill, puts the 11-community school district in line to receive reimbursement from the Massachusetts School Building Authority. As part of that process, however, the state board is requiring communities to update the compact that specifies how capital and operational costs are apportioned. Assigned to suggest improvements to the agreement, the advisory Regional Agreement Amendment Committee, is stalemated. Retiring Committee Chair Angus G. Jennings, former West Newbury town manager, said Newburyport and Rowley are pressing for Haverhill to pay a greater portion of any new building than it would under the 1967 pact.
Haverhill will receive $50,000 in state help to develop a sustainable water supply plan to support future housing and economic growth and $75, 000 to develop “cooling corridors.”
The first would preserve water, in part, by requiring new development to offset projected demand, while the second enables the city to plant a minimum of 50 large-canopy shade trees at the Cogswell and Hunking areas in Bradford and Zins Park in Riverside. “Massachusetts needs infrastructure that can withstand flooding, extreme heat and severe storms,” Gov. Maura Healey said Thursday. “This $45 million investment will help communities protect residents, strengthen roads, dams, coastlines and other critical infrastructure and lower costs. ECO One Stop is making it faster and easier for communities to access the funding they need to get these important projects moving.”
The supply planning grant will help the city develop a Water Neutral Growth strategy and involve community input sessions and final recommendations to the City Council. It is one of a first round of 97 projects awarded grants from the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs’ new Environment & Climate, or ECO, One Stop program.
Four of the six men allegedly involved in a daytime gang-related shootout last spring in downtown Haverhill were indicted by an Essex County grand jury over the last several weeks. Victor Ernesto Deaza was arraigned before Judge John C. Fraser in Salem Superior Court Thursday, July 27, and due back in court Thursday, Sept. 3, for a pre-trial conference. Evan M. Carlisle, Riley A. Quinn and Timothy Mossey were arraigned Wednesday, Aug. 5, in Salem Superior Court.
Haverhill voters may participate in early voting for the state primary election beginning a week from Saturday. Haverhill City Clerk Kaitlin M. Wright Esposito’s office says early voting begins Saturday, Aug. 22, and runs through Friday, Aug. 28, all in the Early Voting Room in the basement of City Hall at 4 Summer St. The best access is from the Newcomb Street entrance of the building.
Art by members of the Greater Haverhill Arts Association is now on display at Memorial Hall Library in Andover. The 2026 Summer Members Exhibit features 48 works by 27 artists. Some pieces are for sale. The library, at 2 N. Main St., Andover, is open Mondays through Thursdays, from 9 am. to 9 p.m.; Fridays and Saturdays, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and 1-5 p.m., Sundays.